


Collateral Damage

by IrelandinIrish



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: BAMF Danny, BAMF Steve McGarrett, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Hurt Grace Williams, M/M, Other, Protective Danny, Protective Steve McGarrett, Protectiveness, grace is definitely a mcdanno kid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-05-28 09:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15045521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrelandinIrish/pseuds/IrelandinIrish
Summary: Danny never trusted Stan, and now Grace and Charlie are paying for it he's determined to put his foot down.





	1. Chapter 1

**8:30 am - Grace Williams**

Brody Sanchez lowered his binoculars, trading them quickly for his phone which he used to snap a series of pictures of Grace and Rachel clambering into the station wagon parked outside the Edwards' residence. On the seat beside the man a radio crackled and he reached for it, eyes still trained on the vehicle across the road.

"They're on the move, I want eyes on the girl's school all day" he spoke slowly and firmly into the device before lowering it and narrowing his eyes as Rachel pulled out of the drive and headed off down the street.

* * *

**8:45 am - Charlie Williams**

This time it was Stan at the wheel as he led Charlie out of the house and into the car. The youngster was clutching the man's hand, a book-bag trailing along the floor where it was hanging from the child's wrist. Brody photographed the scenario with a plethora of lazy snaps until he was satisfied and turned once more to his radio.

"Edwards is out of the house, he's got the boy with him. Romeo tail them, don't let them out of your sight unless I say otherwise" without waiting for a response the man tossed the walkie on the dash and tipped his seat back with a sigh of content.

* * *

Danny pushed open the doors to 5O's HQ with such force that they almost ricocheted back and sent him flying had he not been striding at such a pace.

"Easy Jersey where's the fire?" Steve questioned with a raised eyebrow from his spot at the bench between Chin and Kono "Now who's got aneurysm face?" Despite the Navy SEAL's joking tone his partner was clearly not in the mood as he joined them, and he began to drum his fingertips impatiently against the surface.

Kono frowned and swiped the case away before the man could start inadvertently messing with it, and she looked up at him with light concern "Is everything okay?" she asked softly, taking a much different approach to the Commander, who was no longer amused by his partner's mood.

"Stan" Danny began defeatedly "Stan has booked a _camping_ trip for next weekend."

"I don't follow" Chin said awkwardly "What's so bad about camping?"

But Steve knew; "You had the kids next week" he sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose "Well can't they just reschedule? It's not like the woods are going anywhere."

Danny shook his head "That's what I said, but apparently me asking to keep my _very few_ allotted hours with my kids, makes me difficult."

Kono pulled a face but said nothing, instead opting to pull the case back up since Danny had now stepped back from the bench to stand by Steve.

"They're killing me" the cop stressed quietly, a pained crease appearing on his forehead "I mean it Steve between the two of them they're wearing me down."

The SEAL gave him a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder "We can sort this Danno alright? Even if I have to plan a last minute 5O camping excursion to the same damn site I'll do it."

His partner could at least offer a grateful chuckle as the pair turned back to the other half of their team. "I never trusted him" Danny muttered "Stan."

"I know buddy" Steve nodded, gesturing for Chin to continue his update of the case.

* * *

**3:30 pm - Grace Williams**

Alvero Diamond smoothed down a loose lock of his hair that had clearly escaped the gel covering the rest of his headas he stationed himself on a bench about 2 metres from where Grace was sat with some of her friends. The man tilted his head as he examined her, she was pretty - 16 years old and 'developing nicely' to say the least. Alvero checked his watch and pulled his jacket closer to his body to hide the holstered gun and radio attached to his belt as his earpiece crackled to life.

"Is the girl still out of the house?" Brody's voice whispered in the man's ear and he tapped the receiver as subtly as possible before speaking.

"Yes, we're still out here, where's the boy?"

"The Mother's chaperoning him at a birthday party, should mean Edwards is home alone, just how we want him."

"Are we moving in or what?"

"Jorge, Rico and Marco are moving in as we speak - you just keep eyes on the girl."

Alvero glanced back up at Grace who was now on her feet demonstrating some new cheer moves to her friends, the man smiled to himself "I'll keep my eyes on her alright" he assured Brody, settling back against the bench.

* * *

**4:00 pm - Charlie Williams**

Charlie ran around with his other kindergarten classmates while the parents watched on fondly, oblivious to Romeo Johns who was parked outside the party as inconspicuously as possible as he monitored the young boy and his Mother.

"The kid's still partying" he scoffed into his mic "No signs of them leaving any time soon either."

"Excellent" the smile was evident in Brody's voice as he spoke "Boys, move in."

* * *

Stan looked up from the TV as the doorbell rang, and he frowned at the clock on the wall - he supposed it could be Grace forgetting her key again. The man stood up and made his way down the hall, opening the front door in one swift movement with a 'Hey Gracie' as he turned back to his show.

"Hey Stan" a deep voice replied, followed by the cocking of a gun.

Stan whirled round, heart hammering against his ribcage as he found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, his voice shaky as he clocked the other two men now flanking the first as they pushed through the doorway.

"The name's Rico, Brody sends his love" with that he fired at the wall, tearing holes in a canvas of Stan and Rachel with his bullets.

"Brody Sanchez?" Stan repeated dumbly "He's dead, I watched him die."

Jorge kicked the door shut behind him with his foot "You watched him pass out, and then you ran with his money didn't you?"

"Must have done" Marco cut in, nodding round at the decorated hallway "Done alright for yourself haven't you brah?"

Stan swallowed hard and ran a shaky hand over his face "You need to leave, now. My wife will be home with the kids soon and you can't be here."

Rico laughed "Relax Edwards, we know where your family are, got eyes on them as we speak" he nudged Stan with the gun "Now let's talk figures."

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rachel comes home to a roughed up Stan who encourages her to keep it quiet but Charlie accidentally lets slip to his Dad.

The front door was wide open when Rachel pulled into the driveway later that afternoon and she stared at it with a confused frown as she helped Charlie out of the car. The front garden was empty and Stan's car was parked neatly beside hers so the open door seemed to be deliberate.

Holding Charlie safely by the hand behind her, Rachel approached the house, glancing up at the front windows as she went in case there was a sign as to why it was open. "Stan?" she called out nervously, shutting the door quietly behind them "Stan are you home?" As Charlie surged forward to go and play his Mother held him back with a murmured "Just a minute sweetheart" when the sound of the study door creaking open echoed down the hall.

"Rachel" a voice rasped, and the woman gave a small sigh of relief as she assumed the open door was now an accident. She opened her mouth to say so and jokingly chide her husband but he spoke again before she could. "Charlie bud how about you head upstairs and play for a while?" the suggestion was said as lightly as possible but it was clear that something wasn't right as Rachel reluctantly let go of her son's hand and watched him clamber up to his room.

Once his footsteps had died down Stan finally emerged and Rachel had to quickly cover her mouth to submerge the scream that was building in her throat. Her husband's eyes were swelling as dark blue bruising appeared beneath them and his nose was crusted with drying blood. There were several gashes across his cheeks as well as a nasty split lip and Rachel struggled to take it all in as she clutched her chest in shock.

"Stan, what-how-" she spluttered, raising a shaky hand to his face but the man flinched away and dragged her into his study before closing and locking the door.

"It doesn't matter how" he told her firmly "I need to get out of here for a few days until most of this heals up. I can't let the kids see me like this, you understand?" Rachel's eyes drifted to the desk where a duffel bag was packed and ready to go.

The woman folded her arms stubbornly "You're going to have to give me something more than that Stan" she insisted "I've come home to a severely beaten husband who would rather leave than explain himself."

Stan shook his head sadly and cupped her face, stroking a thumb over her cheek "I'm sorry" he said thickly "But you have to trust me on this okay?" He turned and slid the bag up his shoulder with a wince and headed for the door "I'll be home soon."

Rachel was numb as she stumbled down the hall after him and watched him walk over to his car "Stan!" she called, her voice cracking as he turned back to her with a guilty expression "Are we safe here?" she asked, shoulders slumping slightly. The man didn't answer so she began striding down the drive towards him "Answer the question" she demanded "I need to know if my children are safe in this house still."

Stan closed his eyes and started the engine, turning on the radio to drown out his wife as she hammered against the passenger window. He couldn't answer her question because the truth was, he just didn't know.

* * *

Alvero was still sat on the bench in the park watching Grace, who was finally showing signs of leaving as she gathered her bag and hugged her friends goodbye.

"The girl is heading home, are the boys out?" the man spoke quietly into his earpiece, his eyes not leaving the teen.

"Out and back at the hotel, you can leave her Alvero, come join us for dinner brother we have much to discuss." Brody's voice cut off and the man stood from the bench and brushed himself off, deliberately heading for the same exit as Grace as he purposefully bumped into her.

The teen staggered slightly and the man grabbed her hand to steady her as he offered an apology. "Thanks" Grace flustered "I'm sorry" she pulled her hand away distractedly as her phone started to ring in her pocket and with that she was gone from Alvero's sight.

Grace checked the caller ID with a squint as the sun glared off of her phone screen, she answered with a sigh "Mom I'm on my way home now I'll be there soon-" but it wasn't Rachel who spoke, but Charlie.

"Gracie?" he asked softly "Gracie come home" he pleaded, and his sister frowned at the tone of his voice as she quickened her pace down the sidewalk and switched her cell to the other ear.

"Charlie? What's wrong? Are you okay?" she checked, looking both ways before hurrying across the road "Hey, I'm coming home now buddy alright?"

"Step Stan is gone, and Mommy is downstairs crying, I think she hurt him."

There was a crack in the youngster's voice followed by a snivel and Grace was all but jogging as she listened "What do you mean he's gone?" she questioned "And Mom wouldn't hurt him Charlie you know that."

"He was bleeding, and his face was all puffy. I heard Mommy shouting so I looked out the upstairs window and saw!"

Grace tried to process all this information as she took a final turn into their street, and with a final reassurance to her brother that she was almost there the teen hung up and ran the remaining distance home.

* * *

The 5O team were sat round a bench outside Kamekona's shrimp truck when Danny's phone began to vibrate on the table and he checked the caller with a groan.

"Rachel if you're calling to talk about this damn camping trip again I don't want to hear it" he said dully, shoving a prawn into his mouth and chewing it angrily "What? Why? What's wrong?"

Steve looked up from his food with a frown and exchanged a look with the others as all three of them prepared to push away their meals.

"Well yes of course I will, I'll come and get them. What now? Okay then I'll text you when they're here. Bye."

Danny hung up with a shake of his head and glanced behind him with narrowed eyes. "Do we need to go?" Steve asked seriously "Or can we all keep eating?" Danny waved at him to be quiet as he dialled another number and brought the cell to his ear.

"Grace? Are you alright, where are you?" he frowned, concentrating on her reply "Alright baby well I'll see you in a few minutes, I'll get you guys some food in, did you eat already?" He waved down Kamekona and tapped at multiple items on the menu before handing over several bills with a nod of thanks "Alright it's cooking as we speak, keep an eye on your brother and I'll see you soon, I love you both."

The detective hung up and placed his phone back on the bench "Rachel asked me to have them tonight, said it could be longer but she'd let me know" he said in confusion as he picked at his food "Why suddenly change her mind? I'm telling you guys, never get married, ever."

Chin pointed his fork at the man "Maybe she feels guilty about the whole camping fiasco so she's giving you extra hours to make up for it?" Steve nodded in agreement and raised his eyebrows at his partner in silent suggestion of the possibility.

Danny shrugged, squinting at the horizon and smiling as he caught sight of his children "Either way I get time with them, so it's fine by me."

* * *

"And there was jello and ice-cream and candyfloss and shaved ice!" Charlie sat rattling off a list of all the sugar he'd consumed during his time at the birthday party, and Danny looked round at his team.

"Now this,  _this_ is the real reason Rachel wanted me to have them I bet" he joked, ruffling the boys hair as he tucked the napkin back into his shirt for the 30th time.

Charlie looked up at him and shook his head "That's not the reason" he piped up "It's because-"

"Charlie!" Grace snapped, glaring at him until he had shrunk down in his seat with red cheeks "Shut up" she instructed, pushing her food around its container.

"Woah, hey, hey" Danny stared between them "Don't talk to your brother like that, apologise."

Grace gave a muttered 'sorry' before shoving her food away and resting her chin in her hands "Just leave it Charlie, okay?"

The boy nodded slowly, swinging his legs as he continued to eat in silence, and soon the chatter round the table started up once more. Danny sat staring at his daughter, his forehead creased in a frown of concern and confusion as he caught Steve's eye.

Something wasn't right, and they were going to find out what.

* * *

Steve pulled into the HQ parking lot, taking his time unbuckling the seatbelt as he watched Danny lead the kids inside. By the time the SEAL had travelled up in the elevator his partner had stationed both Charlie and Grace in the office along with toys and the wifi password respectively.

"So what are you thinking?" Steve questioned as Danny emerged looking haggard "Should we worry about this little sibling spat or not?"

The detective ran a hand through his hair and shrugged "How should I know, I mean Grace is at the age where everything has to be a secret and her brother looks up to her so much that she says jump and he'll say how high, you know what I'm saying?"

Steve nodded and glanced over his partner's shoulder to the two kids "What about asking Rachel? If there's something going on that involves the kids I'm sure she has to tell you right?"

"I can't just start demanding answers from her, especially if nothing has actually happened. I mean what if Chin was right and it's just her making up the time I'm losing over this dumb camping trip? Then I'm gonna look like the biggest shmuck on the island."

His partner raised his hands to placate him "Look buddy I can't tell you what to do, but I know that when it comes to those kids a mere hunch is enough for you to do some digging."

Danny was nodding slowly as the man spoke and the expression on his face made it clear he'd reached a decision "Keep Grace busy for me okay?" he requested, turning on his heel and heading for the office before Steve could reply. He opened the door and whistled to catch the kids attention "Charlie bud I need you for a minute is that okay?" The little boy slid from the couch with a grin and ran to his Dad who momentarily lifted him in the air before taking his hand and leading him out of earshot.

"Where are they going?" Grace questioned cautiously, lowering her phone as she made to follow.

"You know Danno" Steve bluffed, holding out a hand to stop her "He's just checking in, asking about school and all that stuff, you'll be next" he told her seriously "So are there any boys that you should warn about a potential visit from 5O or are we good?"

The teen blushed slightly but sank back into the couch with a shake of her head, bowing her eyes from her Uncle who was grinning in satisfaction.

* * *

"So, little man" Danny began, feeding quarters into a vending machine to retrieve a juice for his son "You wanna tell me what was going on at the shrimp truck earlier?"

Charlie watched his Father poke the straw through the hole and then accepted the drink with a small 'thankyou' as they began to wander aimlessly down the hallways.

"You know I won't even tell your sister, it can be yours and Daddy's secret how does that sound?" Danny pushed on, swinging the boy's hand a little as they walked.

"Nothing happened Danno" the youngster replied, dragging his feet along the floor "We ate some shrimp?"

Danny smiled slightly - playing dumb, the oldest trick in the book and one that Grace had clearly passed onto her brother. He came to a halt and turned to face his son, crouching down in front of him so that they were at eye level.

"Listen to me buddy, you know I had to tell Gracie off for yelling at you right? But why did she yell, can you tell me that?"

Charlie was gnawing at his straw as he listened, and his eyes were flickering anywhere other than his Dad's face "I was going to tell you why Mommy sent us to stay" he answered quietly.

Danny nodded encouragingly at the sign of progress, and gently ruffled the boy's hair "That's right, good boy" he praised "Now can you tell me now? It's okay Grace can't hear you and I promise she won't get mad if you tell me the secret okay?"

His son tilted his head thoughtfully as if weighing up the truth in the man's statement. "Okay" he agreed "If you're sure Grace won't find out?"

The detective smiled and gestured for them to sit on the chairs along the corridor, and Charlie hopped up, instantly swinging his legs through nerves.

"Mommy brought me home from the party and the front door was open" the youngster began, glancing down the corridor every now and again as he spoke "We went in but it was only Step-Stan home and no bad guys so they sent me upstairs to play."

Danny was listening intently, his arm resting round his son's shoulders while he listened, hanging on every word for a clue as to what was going on with his ex-wife.

"I was playing with my robots and then Mommy yelled something so I ran to the upstairs window and Step-Stan was putting a bag into his car. Mommy was crying and his face was all puffy and funny colours, I think he was bleeding too...That's when I called Grace to come home." Charlie bowed his head and his legs stilled as he bit at his lower lip.

"You're doing so good buddy" his Father praised "Can you tell me what your sister did when she got home?"

Charlie nodded slowly "I heard her downstairs with Mommy, she told Gracie not to say anything and that Step-Stan would be home when he was all better, Grace asked some questions but I think Mommy might have smacked her...that's when she came up to my room and gave me a big hug. She told me we couldn't talk about Step-Stan leaving and that everything would be okay soon."

Danny sat back as the story wrapped up, his jaw set firmly from the mention of Rachel physically hurting their daughter. Realising he was leaving his son in silence after this confession, the detective turned and smiled at him "I'm proud of you for telling me all that bud, you did good remembering it all huh?"

Charlie smiled back and nodded enthusiastically "I'm good at remembering, I wanna ask lots of questions like you Danno, and Uncle Steve!"

Danny laughed, standing and pulling Charlie to his feet "We'll discuss that when you're older" he said with a frown, leading the way back down the hall "What do you say we go find your sister and get out of here?"

As he watched Charlie run back into the offices he sighed, realising that his quest for answers had only left him with more questions.

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 5O team find out more about Stan, Danny goes to visit his ex-wife, and Alvero is hooked on Grace.

Steve knew Danny wasn't coming in today, the detective was taking time off to sort out his family and the Navy SEAL decided it made the perfect opportunity to use 5O's resources to delve deeper into the world of Stan Edwards.

"Don't you think Danny would have done every background check possible the moment Stan came into his daughter's life?" Kono pointed out as she tapped away at the bench "I mean I get that what happened yesterday was weird but surely if Stan was a problem we'd have realised it by now?"

Steve stopped pacing and leant against the tabletop, eyes fixed on the picture of Stan as it blew up on the screen "I remember Danny saying he'd done background checks" he agreed "But somebody bloodied the guy up enough to get him running scared which must mean there have been developments somewhere along the line."

Neither Chin nor Kono contested this as they worked quietly for the next few moments until Chin pulled the man's details up onto the screen alongside his picture. "Stanley Lawrence Edwards, born and raised on the Mainland until he moved to Honolulu for work in 2010, no rap sheet, clean as a whistle." Chin stopped speaking and glanced to Steve, who was staring up at the bio through narrowed eyes.

"Innocent and inconspicuous men don't get roughed up for the hell of it" the SEAL said "We're missing something."

"Boss what if it was just because he lives in a pretty nice house and clearly has a lot of money?" Kono suggested carefully "We've put away enough thieves on this island to know it's a popular crime of choice."

Chin looked up at his cousin from where he was swiping through several photographs of Stan, most of them recent "I hate to say it brah, because it makes Danny's life more difficult but, there doesn't seem to be anything dodgy about the guy."

Steve rubbed at his jaw but had no defence to give other than he had a feeling, so he nodded for the two to power down the bench and delete any search of Stan from the database.

"So Danny went to Rachel's huh?" Kono asked after a pause "How do you think that's going?"

"Well considering Charlie told Danny that she hit Grace yesterday in the aftermath of Stan leaving, I'm guessing he's not exactly planning to go easy on her."

* * *

"You forget I can tell when you're lying."

"For goodness sake Daniel why are you even here? I thought you would  _want_ to spend this extra time with your children."

Danny stopped in front of her "Don't do that" he warned "Don't use the guilt trip, not on me."

"It wasn't a guilt trip, I'm just trying to tell you that there's no point in you being here!"

Rachel was gesturing wildly with her arms so the detective took them firmly in his grip as he spoke "Where's Stan, Rachel?" he asked quietly and unblinkingly.

His ex drew back, her face contorting in anger "Get out Danny before I throw you out" she snapped, turning her back on him.

The man laughed "You do remember I'm a cop, yes? Which means if I think I have a reason to be somewhere, then I go there and I stay there until I get the answers I want."

"I don't have any answers to give you Danny, Stan is away on business okay? Now you can go." She marched past him and flung open the front door, but he pushed it shut again, growing tired of her covering up for the man.

"You don't wanna talk about Stan that's fine, how about you tell me why you hit our daughter?" Danny's arms were folded and his eyebrows raised as he waited for an answer, and Rachel's hesitation to provide him with one wasn't working in her favour.

"I didn't, I didn't hit her" she shook her head "You're just making things up, to what? To take me to court? Are you looking for a custody battle again?"

Danny massaged the bridge of his nose "Charlie told me what you did Rachel, okay? He told me that he heard you hit Grace and now you're here lying to my face, and I know you're lying because _our son_ has no reason to!"

The woman sank against the wall, dropping to the floor with her face in her hands "I didn't mean to" she whispered "I felt awful as soon as it happened, but she was just asking me question after question and _I_  didn't even know the answers, all I know is that Stan said he had to leave while he healed up, he couldn't tell me anything else!"

The detective crouched in front of her, his expression stern " _This time_ , I believe you" he told her "But no matter what happens between you and Stan, if I ever find out you've hit my daughter again I'll take you into police custody myself, you hear me?"

He straightened back up and left her in the hallway, disappearing through into the kitchen. Danny may have meant every word of the threat and his anger towards his ex-wife was indeed heightened at that moment in time, but he still wasn't leaving without getting her some water and waiting for her to calm down.

* * *

Alvero Diamond had been waiting in the park all day for just a glimpse of Grace, and as hoards of kids began cutting through on their way home the man was sat up straight  looking wildly from group to group for the girl.

"Diamond, answer me now" Brody's voice crackled through the earpiece, and Alvero slumped back with a sigh as he tapped the device.

"Yes boss?"

"Where the hell are you? You should be back here lying low until our next move. I don't need you drawing attention to yourself!" Brody spoke harshly and Alvero knew that whenever he decided to return to the hotel room, there would no doubt be a black eye waiting as his greeting.

"I'm just at the park" he muttered, still looking round for Grace "Thought it would be good to keep eyes on the girl, you know? Try and memorise her schedule?" His words were tinged with hope and he waited for a response.

Brody could be heard laughing down the earpiece "You have a thing for the young girl no?" he teased "Well don't worry my friend, if Edwards can't cooperate with us I'll make sure you have her as your commiseration prize."

Alvero smirked, a gesture that grew at the sight of Grace passing through the gates of the park. "I'm on my way back now" he spoke into the mic "I'll pick us up some pizza's" he pulled out the earpiece and stuffed it into his pocket as the teen passed him, her head down as she tapped away at her phone. Alvero easily fell into step behind her as she walked, his eyes flickering over her body in approval. 

* * *

It was getting late by the time Danny left Rachel's and swung by 5O HQ, only Steve was still there tapping away at his computer in the dim light of his desk lamp.

"Do you ever stop?" the detective questioned wearily, his joking tone drained out of him after spending so long around Rachel. Steve looked up at the voice and smile softly, pushing back his chair to give the conversation his full attention.

"Did you get her to talk?" 

"Steven, please, she isn't a suspect or a perp she's my ex-wife" Danny reminded the man before adding "Which makes her worse than that" as he sunk onto Steve's couch and laid back with a groan "We're no longer married and yet she still finds ways to screw me over."

The Navy SEAL delved into his desk and produced two beers, one of which he tossed to his partner, who cracked it open gratefully without the slightest mocking comment. Steve waited for the man to stop drinking before he spoke again. "You ask her about hitting Gracie?" he asked stiffly, submerging the anger that rose inside him at the thought.

"Yep" Danny sighed "Tried to deny it at first but then it all came tumbling out, Grace asking too many questions blah blah blah."

"You caution her for it?"

"Pretty much yeah"

A moment of silent approval passed between the pair as they drank.

"Did I miss anything round here today?" Danny questioned, glancing over at his partner with tired eyes.

Steve paused, taking a moment to think about Stan's clear rap sheet and lack of anything suspicious linked to his name before shaking his head "Nah, it's been a quiet one" he bluffed, looking over at Danny who had raised his beer bottle.

"Cheers to that" the detective muttered, taking a swig.

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week has passed, Stan is back home and Danny is beginning to think he's over-reacted about the whole situation. That is until Brody turns up on Stan's doorstep while Grace and Charlie are home.

"He just walked through the door" Grace said dully for what must have been the 20th time during the journey. Her gaze was pointedly fixed out of the window in an attempt to subdue her Dad, but Danny wasn't done asking her questions.

"So did he go anywhere nice?"

"How should I know?"

"Well you see Grace, baby, there's these things called conversations and they work _wonders_ when you wanna find something out" Danny drawled, indicating into the street in which his daughter lived.

As the car pulled up outside, the teen turned to her Father as she unbuckled her seatbelt "But _I'm_ not the one who wants to find things out Danno, _you_ are" with that she pecked him on the cheek and took off up the drive before he could even think of a response.

Inside the house Stan was peering through the curtains of his study and he watched Danny reverse out of sight after several minutes sitting in his car. At the sound of the front door shutting, the man ducked out into the hallway to catch his stepdaughter before she disappeared upstairs for the night.

"How was cheerleading?" he asked quickly, trying to start a conversation "Have fun?"

Grace looked up at him, her eyes automatically grazing over the mottled yellow on his cheekbones and the remnants of a split lip. "It was alright" she shrugged "Thanks." Stan nodded along almost impatiently, scratching at the back of his neck.

"So your Dad stayed out front a while, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, he was probably just fixing his hair or something" the teen shrugged, switching her weight to the other foot as she folded her arms "Can I go now?"

Stan reached out and took her arm before she could turn her back "You didn't tell your Dad about my little vacation did you?" he questioned, his voice dropping as he spoke. Grace yanked her arm free and looked at him in confusion.

"I mean he knew you were gone, Mom sent us to stay with him for a few days after you took off, but if you're asking whether or not he knows about your face? Then I doubt he cares" she quickly turned and ran up the stairs before he could stop her again, and Stan's shocked silence was only broken by the slamming of the girl's bedroom door.

* * *

"So what? The guy just walks back into the house and all is forgotten?" Steve asks in exasperation as Danny finished retelling what Grace had said "I thought Rachel had bigger kahuna's than that."

Danny winced "Please never mention my ex-wife and 'kahuna's' in the same sentence ever again" he begged, shaking his head as the others chuckled appreciatively at the banter between the pair.

The team were at Kamekona's shrimp truck for dinner, and Danny had driven there straight after dropping Grace home.

"But no, I'm telling you Grace told me that Rachel picked the kids up from school and when they got home Stan was just sat on the couch watching TV like he'd never even left."

Kono pulled apart a prawn skewer "Looks like we got it wrong this time" she shrugged, popping a piece of the seafood into her mouth "At least that's mystery solved, right?"

Steve frowned "Solved? How is it solved? The guy gets beaten up for reasons we don't know, then leaves for some supposed business trip and now he's back we're all just gonna leave him to it?"

"You wanna calm down over there babe?" Danny raised his eyebrows at his partner "I don't know why someone punched the crap out of him, I can't say I wouldn't had I been given the opportunity. And so what if he wasn't on a business trip, if he took a battering then the chances are he disappeared to mend his wounded pride."

Chin nodded, stealing a skewer from his cousin "Sounds feasible brah" he admitted, shrugging to Steve who still didn't look convinced. But all the same the SEAL raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, alright, we'll let it go. The guy is a douche and clearly deserved whatever punches he received."

"Amen" Danny scoffed, pulling the container of prawns towards him.

* * *

That evening Rachel sat watching her husband as he shovelled spaghetti into his mouth, and she couldn't help the anger rising from the pit of her stomach. Stan had barely spoken to her since he got back, at least not about what had happened. Every time she asked a question about where he'd been or what he'd been doing, he would be conveniently distracted enough to escape without giving an answer.

That's why the woman saw dinner as the perfect opportunity.

"So where were you?" she asked him lightly, helping Charlie twirl spaghetti round his fork "A phonecall would have been nice, you know? When you got to your meeting?" she nodded to the two kids as Stan looked up in momentary confusion.

"Well I was busy wasn't I? Had a lot on but I'm back now hey kids?"

Grace kept her head down, determined to get through dinner and then disappear back up to her room and away from the madness of this family.

"Did you have to go because your face was puffy?" Charlie piped up innocently, and straight away the three other heads at the table snapped in his direction.

"What did you say darling?" Rachel spoke tightly, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her cutlery.

Charlie glanced at Grace who was too horrified by his sudden question to give even a hint of direction as to what he should do, so the boy just carried on. "I saw you out the window when you left, your face was all funny and Mommy was crying at you."

Stan's jaw set "I think you were having a dream buddy, I'm fine, see?"

"We can see your bruises" Grace told him coldly, finally coming to the aid of her little brother "And we're not stupid so don't try and call him a liar."

Rachel froze, her eyes trained on Stan who was becoming increasingly angry at the two children "Okay how about you take your brother upstairs Grace?" she suggested, beginning to clear the plates "I think Stan and I need to talk."

"The hell we do" the man spat, scraping back his chair "What we  _need_ is for you all to stop getting involved in my business." 

He meant to storm off into his study but was halted in the hallway by a knock at the door. Swearing under his breath Stan threw it open and must have startled whoever was on the receiving end of his furious temper, but within seconds the man was cowering back, all sense of power gone.

"Edwards, nice to see you again"

"Brody? I- I wasn't expecting-" Stan glanced over his shoulder and saw Rachel and the kids watching the pair speak "Now isn't really a great time, we're in the middle of dinner you see?"

The man stepped inside and shut the front door behind him, ignoring the stammered words from Stan's mouth "This must be the family!" he boomed, offering a wave to them "What a pretty picture this is."

Rachel took a tentative step forward, ushering Grace and Charlie behind her "Not to be rude, but, who are you?" she questioned, looking Brody up and down. He offered her his hand to shake and she did so with clammy palms.

"The name's Miguel, Miguel Reed I'm an old friend of Mr Edwards here" he patted Stan on the back, who winced.

"But Step-Stan called him Brody" Charlie whispered to Grace, who quickly shushed him and dragged him backwards several more steps. Brody looked back at Stan with a raised eyebrow and the man shook his head slowly.

Rachel cleared her throat "Well, Miguel, it's lovely to meet you but perhaps Stan and yourself could catch up another time? I need to be getting Charlie ready for bed soon and-"

"Charlie?" Brody repeated, crouching down as he waved once more to the boy "I always wondered what Edwards' kids were like."

"We're not his" Grace cut in, gripping her brother's shoulders, and Brody glanced up at Rachel.

"They're both mine, but from a previous marriage" she explained hastily.

In his pocket, Brody's phone began to ring and he looked down with a small smile "Saved by the bell 'ey?" he joked, patting Stan's cheek "I'll be in touch buddy, we can go for some drinks or something? Don't leave town" he winked and with one last nod to the rest of the family he was gone, and Stan couldn't lock the door quick enough.

* * *

 

Outside, by the time Brody reached his car he was seething, and had to restrain himself before he put a fist through one of his windows. As the man clambered inside he pulled out his cell and dialled back the number that called him.

"Rico, we have a problem" he spoke in a growl "No I didn't get to speak to him, the whole family was there!"

Brody flipped open the glove box and retrieved a gun, stretching to secure it in the holster round his waist as he shot another look up at the Edwards' house.

"The stupid fool used my name, and the kid heard. No not the girl, the boy and he will definitely open his mouth to someone and that will be it. Do you know what I'm saying Rico?"

Brody drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, listening to the reply with a smile.

"Yes, we take the boy before he talks."

 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brody and his team make moves to capture Charlie.  
> Alvero grows closer to Grace.  
> Danny receives a chilling voicemail from Rachel

It wasn't hard to sense the tension in the house in the days that followed, and Grace became use to walking into rooms where her mom and Stan would be mid argument. For Charlie it was harder, he was younger and not used to seeing their stepdad act so harshly towards them all.

"Is Mommy in time out?" the boy asked his sister, peeking round her bedroom door that Saturday morning "What did she do?" Grace looked up from her textbook with a frown, swinging her legs to the edge of her bed to get up. "She's sitting in time out" Charlie told her again, pointing down the hall to the stairs, and his sister joined him in the doorway to look. Sure enough Rachel was sat on the bottom step with her head rested in her hands.

Grace let out a sigh and ruffled her brother's hair "Go back to your room and play bud, I'll go see what she's doing time for huh?" The girl flashed him an over-bright smile but it was enough to send Charlie off with a giggle, and Grace waited till his bedroom door was shut before she headed to Rachel.

"Mom?" she called, waiting on the top step "Mom are you alright?" The woman didn't answer so the teen walked further down until she was stood just behind her mother. "Mom what's wrong?" she reached out a hand to place on Rachel's shoulder, taking her by surprise and causing her to let out a scream.

"Grace" she breathed "Don't do that!"

"I just asked if you were alright...why're you sitting here?"

"What did we say about you asking all these questions young lady? You're starting to scare your brother."

Grace scoffed " _I'm_ scaring him? He's just come to my room to ask what you did to end up in time out!" she sucked in a breath before continuing "You and Stan aren't even hiding the fact you practically hate each other and it's freaking Charlie out.  _I_ don't care what's going on between you guys, but for his sake keep it away from us." By the time she'd finished ranting at her mother, Grace's shoulders were heaving for breath and in one swoop she grabbed her flip flops from the step her mom was on and rushed out the house.

* * *

Alvero hadn't expected anything when he swung by the park that morning, he'd been instructed to keep driving slowly past the Edwards house to let Stan know he was still very much being watched but after a solid half hour of driving he'd retired to the park.

The man had busied himself with today's paper, retreating to his usual shaded bench to wait until Brody called him back and he was so engrossed in reading he was taken by surprise at the voice interrupting his thoughts.

"Sorry, mind if I sit?"

Alvero could have laughed at his own luck when he glanced up to see Grace stood in front of him with her eyes fixed on the other end of the bench. "By all means" he grinned, gesturing for her to sit before rustling his paper "Are you okay?"

The teen settled, crossing one leg over the other and pulling out her phone "Err yeah, fine. Thanks" she replied warily, eyes flicking to him and then back to her cell "Are you?" her reluctance to speak didn't bother Alvero as he closed the paper and folded it up neatly.

"I'm great" he told her, with a grin that bared all of his teeth "Pretty odd seeing a youngster like you outside on a weekend."

Grace narrowed her eyes "Well, this is Hawaii so I dunno I guess it's different here, the sun makes people more open to change or something like that." She trailed off and uncrossed her legs, as if making to leave and Alvero in blind panic placed a hand on her arm.

"Sorry" he said hastily when she flinched "I just...I'm not used to talking to anyone, makes a nice change ever since my brother died-" the lies fell easily off his tongue but it seemed to do the job as Grace tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment before slowly leaning back against the bench.

"That sucks" she sympathised "My brother's only little but I couldn't imagine losing him."

Alvero listened, finding it ironic that at that moment, Rico would be ready to take the boy.

* * *

Charlie had come downstairs to ask his mom for some juice, but as he reached the kitchen he saw Stan with his fingers round Rachel's wrist whilst she whimpered for him to let go. The sight scared the boy who backed away slowly and turned to head back up to his room, but in his haste he tripped backwards over Stan's gym bag and landed in a heap on the floor.

"Charlie?" Rachel called out, appearing in the doorway with a gasp as she rushed to pick him up "Sweetheart what are you doing? Are you hurt?"

The boy shook his head, glancing past his mom to where Stan was stood behind her, watching. "Did you want something buddy?" the man asked slowly, crouching to Charlie's height "Or were you spying on me and mommy?"

Rachel stepped in front of her son and locked eyes with Stan "Of course he wasn't" she hissed "I'm sure you just wanted a biscuit or something right darling?" She looked down to Charlie who was too scared to do anything but agree and so he nodded, fixing his eyes to the floor as he waited for his mom to retrieve one from the cupboard.

"Why don't you go play outside?" Stan suggested, stopping the boy as he went to head back upstairs "It'll do you good to get some fresh air, you've still got all your trucks out there huh?"

Charlie tore off a piece of his cookie and put it in his mouth with a solemn nod before turning and running for the back door, pulling it shut behind him.

Once he was out of earshot Rachel rounded on her husband "Don't you ever speak to my child like that again" she warned him "I mean it Stan!" She'd barely finished speaking when the man grabbed a handful of her hair and gave it a sharp tug, making Rachel scream. 

"And don't  _you_ speak to me like that again" he whispered in her ear, releasing her and making his way to the living room.

* * *

Grace checked the time on her phone and sighed, quickly looking up at Alvero in apology.

"Something wrong?" he asked lightly, folding his arms so that his thumb brushed against the gun beneath his jacket. He'd waited to get close to Grace and now he was he wasn't prepared to let her just get up and walk away.

"I've been gone over an hour" she explained "I only meant to disappear for twenty minutes to scare my mom."

Alvero laughed "You sound like me, I was always doing things like that with...with my brother." He glanced over at her through his lashes and tried to hide his smirk when he saw her hesitantly settle back into her previous position.

* * *

Charlie looked around the back yard until his eyes fell on his trucks in the corner and he took off running, skidding to his knees and instantly grabbing one in each hand before promptly crashing them into each other with very vigorous sound effects.

As soon as he'd got out of the house he felt better and he'd even eaten all of his cookie despite never wanting it in the first place. He crossed his legs to settle into his game and turned to locate another truck and that's when he came face to face with a man instead. A man dressed all in black, wearing a mask and holding the desired truck in his hand.

"Hi Charlie" he said with a grin, the voice sounding muffled from beneath the mask "You gotta come with me now."

"I-I don't want to" the boy replied quietly, scrambling backwards to get to his feet. As soon as he was standing, Rico had an arm wrapped around his waist as he hauled him over his shoulder and quickly rushed out the back gate, his hand covering Charlie's mouth to stop him crying out.

* * *

Danny shouldered his way through his office door and allowed himself to collapse onto the couch with a groan of relief. It was always satisfying to close a case but when it was a case that involved an increased amount of time chasing a perp, Danny always felt especially relieved when it was done.

He fumbled in his pocket for his phone which had been silenced for the majority of the day and one look at the screen told him he had a voicemail from Rachel. The man blew out a breath and brought the phone to his ear, massaging the bridge of his nose as he waited.

_"Danny, Danny something's happened. I don't know what to do but I need you, I need you to get over here, or-or get someone out there..."_

The detective was now sat forward, eyebrows furrowed as he listened to the desperate gulps of his ex wife as she sobbed into the receiver "What the hell-" the man mumbled, his grip tightening on his cell.

_"Danny you need to find him. Please find him. They took my baby, they took Charlie."_

Danny dropped the phone on the couch and ran from his office.

* * *

Grace felt tears prick her eyes as she frantically read the message from her mom, and Alvero leaned across curiously. "Everything alright?"

"No, no it's my brother" the teen said, already on her feet "My brother's been taken."

Alvero followed suit and also stood, reaching out to place a hand on the small of Grace's back "That's awful" he lied "I'm sure he isn't far?"

"He knows he shouldn't go off on his own, besides he can't reach the lock on our back gate and our mom was in the house she would've seen him. I need to go, I'm sorry" the girl babbled.

"Nonsense" Alvero told her "I'll drop you at your house, you need to be with your family as soon as possible am I right?"

Grace, too caught up in her worry didn't even hesitate to accept his hand as he led her across to the nearest exit. She stood by the passenger door, eyes glancing over the car as her forehead creased into a frown and she took a small step back.

"Something wrong?"

"This car has been driving by my house all day" Grace said, anger tinting her voice "Why have you been driving by my house?"

"My dear I think you're mistaken-" he was cut off by Grace holding up her phone to reveal a hastily snapped picture of the registration plate "Ah" Alvero sighed.

"Do you know where my brother is?" the teen demanded, folding her arms.

Alvero was now beside her and he opened her door "I do" he smirked "And you're going to join him." Before Grace could react he'd slammed her head into the window rendering the girl unconscious as he shoved her into the seat and headed round for the driver door.

* * *

Rachel was pacing the kitchen, a tissue clutched in her hands as she rambled to an HPD officer.

"We'll find your son Mrs Edwards" the man promised, carefully checking over his notebook as he studied the description and picture he'd been given.

Stan was sat off to one side where the police assumed he was too shocked to move, but Rachel thought different as she glared at him across the room, watching him stare at his phone. She wished she could read whatever he was reading.

Stan cleared his throat and hastily locked the cell as an officer approached him, but that didn't mean the message would disappear. It was still on the phone, the last thing Stan had sent to Brody's private number.

_I'll make sure he's outside, just don't do anything stupid until I get the money._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grace protects her brother  
> Danny is on a mission to find his kids.  
> Steve begins to suspect Stan again

As soon as they'd reached the air base, Rico grabbed Charlie from the car and dragged him to where Brody was waiting by the entrance.

"Charlie" he greeted with a grin "Nice to see you again" he stepped back to let them in before shutting and bolting the door behind them. "Chuck him in the chair, use the cable ties, we don't want the little one to start a game of hide and seek."

Rico lifted Charlie up and shoved him onto the chair in the corner, swiping a handful of ties off the nearest workbench in the process. "Don't try and wriggle, it'll only hurt more" he told the boy dully, securing the ties and ignoring the sniffles that it caused as he stood and turned his back.

"Edwards is gonna take our call in an hour or so and say to his Mrs that she needs some ransom money" Brody explained, lighting up a cigar before tossing the pack to Rico "We'll say he has to come alone, with the cash and that's when we get him."

Charlie let out a hiccup as he struggled through his sobs, and Rico rounded on him "You better stop making noise" he threatened "If you didn't make any noise in the first place then you wouldn't be in this position."

"Leave the kid" Brody sighed "No use riling him up, I don't want to deal with him crying all night."

Until now Romeo had been stationed on a worn out couch in the centre of the room, but now he spoke; "I thought you wanted Edwards dead for double crossing you, now you wanna be his best friend?"

Brody threw back his head and laughed, dropping the cigar to the floor and stamping on it "Oh no I still want him dead, but this way I get my money  _and_ I get to watch the blood drain from his face when he realises the whole thing was a trick."

The rumble of an engine outside halted the conversation, and all three men drew their weapons as Rico approached the cracked window beside the door and peered through. He waited several moments before sighing and holstering his gun "It's Alvero, must have been spying on the girl again...he's got it bad." There was another pause as he waited for Alvero to lock the car and move into the light and that's when Rico saw Grace. "Oh shit."

* * *

The house was already crawling with HPD so Danny just pushed his way through to the kitchen where Rachel was sat at the island with her head in her hands.

"Hey" he greeted, stepping forward to hug her "Tell me everything, I wanna know everything right now" he demanded, running a hand through his hair as he glanced around distractedly for Stan.

Rachel let out a shuddered breath "I-I was in the kitchen with Stan and we were arguing, Charlie heard us so we sent him outside to play." Her voice cracked and more tears rolled down her cheeks "I thought he would be safe out there Danny, I honestly did but when I looked out the window to check on him the gate was wide open and he was gone."

Danny felt tears prick his own eyes as he listened "Are we sure he didn't take off? Maybe he got scared with the arguing?"

"He can't reach the lock on the gate, someone took him, someone took my little boy!" Rachel broke off into sobs and Danny rubbed her back, looking helplessly round the room until he froze.

"Rachel" he began, his voice terse "Rachel where's Grace? Where's Grace Rachel?"

His ex wife paused, her hand suddenly flying to her throat "I don't know" she admitted with a shake of her head "I don't know Danny, I don't."

Just like that the detective felt his heart shatter all over again.

* * *

"Why the hell would you bring her here?" Romeo snapped, throwing a look over his shoulder to where Rico was securing Grace beside her brother. "You trying to get us caught Diamond? We only needed one kid!"

"Yeah well I thought we'd get more money with two"

Brody laughed "Always with the greed brother" he shook his head "You wanted the girl from the beginning, I never thought you'd have the balls to go get her."

"She came to me" Alvero boasted, winking at Grace "Practically fell into my lap didn't you little lady?"

Grace set her jaw "You're sick" she spat out, looking over to Charlie who was shaking, something which only angered his sister further. "And he's just a kid, what's wrong with you?"

Romeo raised an eyebrow "Try asking your stepdad" he told her shortly "Because that fancy house you all live in, the nice cars? It should all be ours - at least it should be Brody's. But your stepdad got too cocky, and now he's gonna pay."

"Step Stan knows we're here" Charlie sniffled, finally turning to his sister "They said he knows and he's gonna get money for us."

Grace's mouth fell open "He wouldn't do that" she whispered, letting her hair fall in front of her face as she bowed her head "He wouldn't."

Brody stepped forward and grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger "Hate to break it to you princess, but he would."

* * *

Steve ran through the front door of Rachel's house, Danny's cell clutched in his hand from where he'd found it abandoned on the couch in his office with the message still playing on a loop. As soon as he'd heard it, the SEAL drove straight over.

"D?" he called, coming into the kitchen and grabbing his slightly surprised partner in a hug "What do we know?"

Danny accepted his phone back and took this as an explanation as to Steve's sudden appearance, and he shook his head. "All we know is someone came in the back gate, took Charlie and ran, and-" he stopped and bit down hard on his bottom lip to keep his emotions in check.

"And what?" Steve pushed gently, his hand resting on the detective's shoulder "D?"

"And now Grace is missing too" Rachel cut in weakly, clutching the teen's latest school photo in her hands.

Steve turned to Danny, shocked "My God" he murmured, running a hand over his face "Okay, well it's gonna be fine we're gonna find them, both of them" he assured his partner, looking around the room "Where's Stan? He alright?"

Rachel scoffed, knowing full well any concern wasn't sincere "He disappeared to his office a while ago, haven't seen him since."

Danny looked at his partner and shrugged, showing this was the last thing he cared about but Steve felt something, a hunch and he took off into the hall.

Stan's office door was shut, which didn't stop McGarrett as he let himself in. "Stan" he greeted shortly, kicking the door shut behind him "I'm surprised you're not out there with your wife."

The man scooted back his chair and looked up "I didn't think I was being much help" he muttered "Thought I'd give them some space."

"Your stepkids are missing."

"They'll be fine."

Steve frowned, his eyes narrowing at Stan who promptly tucked his chair back to the desk to signal the end of the conversation.

* * *

"Right" Brody announced, clapping his hands together "Time to prepare for that call." He turned to Rico who grinned and began toying with Charlie's ties.

"What're you doing to him?" Grace questioned, willing her little brother to stop crying in case they got mad. "Hey?"

Romeo purposefully knocked into her, elbow first and laughed "Oh sorry didn't see you there" he drawled "Hurry up Rico."

Brody stepped in front of Grace and crouched to her level, running a finger over her cheek "You see" he began sweetly "When you demand a ransom from someone, they always ask for proof of life, but we can't just show your little bro in top condition because then they'll think we're playing." At this Charlie was released and pulled from his chair with Rico's hands placed firmly on his shoulders to keep him still.

"Don't touch him" Grace begged, struggling against the cable ties round her wrists "Please, please just don't touch him."

Alvero came to a stop behind her to hold her down in her chair "Shh princess you're making it worse for him."

"Get off me" the teen warned through gritted teeth "Get the hell off of me."

"You weren't kidding when you said she was spicy man" Romeo snorted, switching his knife to the other hand before turning to Charlie "You might wanna shut her up for this part though."

As he took a step towards Charlie, Grace let out a guttural cry that startled the four men and the struggle left her wrists bleeding from the friction of the ties. "You can take me" she told them in defeat "Do what you want, just leave him alone, please?" She raised her head to look at Brody who had his head tilted in thought.

"You were never part of the plan little girl" he reminded her, whipping out his gun and pressing it to Charlie's temple "It was only meant to be this one."

Grace shook her head "No, why? Why him?"

"Because he heard my name, and we can't trust him not to blab it back to detective daddy can we?"

"I heard your name too" the teen said coldly "So why him?"

Rico rolled his eyes "Because he's some little kid that can't keep his mouth shut, so we have to shut it for him."

Grace fixed her eyes on his "If you touch him, if you hurt my little brother then this is really not gonna end well for you" she warned him, finally looking round to the others "So I suggest you change your plan."

* * *

Chin ran up the drive of the Edwards house and met Steve at the top. "We've got guys back at the palace trawling through street and security cameras to see if they can spot Grace or Charlie on anything but so far we've got nothing."

Steve looked off into the distance "Tell them to focus on anomalies from the past couple days. Random cars outside their schools, people walking by their house-" he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, tensing slightly as he felt Chin place a hand on his arm.

"We'll find them brah" he promised "Nobody messes with the niece and nephew and gets away with it."

"Thanks brother" Steve nodded, clapping the man on the back "Let me know as soon as we got something?"

Chin agreed, stopping his boss before he could head back inside "Hey how's our boy doing?"

McGarrett shook his head "His little boy is taken, little girl goes missing, he's a mess" the man admitted "But you can tell he's trying to hold it together for Rachel you know? Probably because Stan is being zero help."

"But they're his stepkids?" Chin frowned in confusion.

"I reminded him that when I found him in his office, all he said was 'They'll be fine'." Steve made sure to catch Chin's eye, waiting for a response.

"You think Stan knows something?"

Steve's jaw set "I'm really starting to."

* * *

Grace had been dragged through to what used to be an office and once more secured to a chair but this time with half a roll of tape.

"Must get a real kick out of beating up kids huh?" the teen drawled, screwing her eyes shut as she felt Romeo's fist make contact with her cheekbone again. There was blood pouring from her nose and from her lip, her left eye was rapidly swelling and her wrists were being rubbed raw by the tape every time she moved.

"It's like you're enjoying this" Rico told her, whacking her across the face with the butt of his gun "You think you're gonna win the big sis hero award?"

The teen looked up at him "That doesn't sound like a real thing" she sassed, earning herself yet another blow this time to the stomach, which sent her chair toppling over along with a sickening crunch from Grace's wrist.

"Sounded like a broken bone to me" Romeo teased "Still feel tough?"

Grace tried to focus on his voice, on not blacking out but as she lay with her cheek pressed to the concrete floor while blood pooled beneath her head, she felt her eyes closing.

* * *

When Steve went back into the house he found Danny sitting on the stairs cradling his phone.

"Hey babe" the SEAL sighed, settling beside him and wrapping an arm round his shoulders. He glanced down with a sad smile to see a picture of Grace and Charlie on the screen of the cell, and then he felt Danny shudder in his hold.

"I-I gotta find them man" he croaked "I can't lose them, not now, not ever."

Steve nodded his hand holding the back of his partner's head as he leaned against him. "We're gonna get 'em back D" he said quietly "And whoever has them is gonna pay."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chin and Kono get a lead  
> Grace struggles to protect her brother  
> Steve shares his suspicions with Danny.

It had been nearly three hours since Charlie was taken and the sky was beginning to darken. Rachel stood by the kitchen window, gripping the edge of the counter as she stared at the still open back gate.

"You should eat something."

The woman turned, coming face to face with Stan who was studying her face over the rim of his water glass.

"I'm not hungry" she told him dismissively "I can't even think about something so insignificant as dinner when my children are still out there somewhere with God knows who!" she slammed her hand down on the counter top and Stan grabbed hold of it tightly.

"Stop this Rachel" he told her quietly "I'm sure the kids will be fine, we'll get a sign soon, something will happen" he trailed off, checking his phone with his other hand and letting out an aggrieved sigh when nothing popped up.

Rachel pushed him off of her, subconsciously rubbing her wrist where he'd held her "What are you talking about" she snapped "It's been hours!"

What had the potential to flare up into a major row was cut short by Danny calling to his ex from the doorway. "You gotta see this" he insisted, pointing over his shoulder "Street cameras picked up Grace."

That was enough for the woman to rush past her husband and out of the room, leaving a stunned Stan behind still gripping his phone.

This wasn't part of the plan.

* * *

"Gracie? Gracie wake up!"

The teen blinked slowly, pain instantly overwhelming her as she tried to focus on the voice that she recognised as her brothers. Her wrist was throbbing and her hair was sticky with blood from where it had stuck to her cheek when she fell.

"It's okay bud, I'm alright" she lied, going to take his hand before she realised she was once more cable tied to a chair. She groaned and turned to her brother "You okay? They haven't hurt you?"

Charlie shook his head, the smudges of dirt on his cheeks streaked with tear tracks "I wanna go home Grace" he sniffled "When's Danno coming?"

The girl closed her eyes as she felt a rush of nausea and she willed herself to stay conscious for her little brother's sake. "I'm sure he'll find us soon squirt, just gotta wait it out and do what these guys say, right?"

As if on cue the office door slid open, creaking in its slots as Brody walked in. "Ahh you're awake, good, thought my boys might have done a little too much damage and accidentally killed you" he grinned as he walked between the two chairs, ruffling Charlie's hair on his way. "We've done some thinking-"

"Don't hurt yourself" Grace muttered, groaning as she felt a hard slap to her cheek.

"As I was saying" Brody went on "We've been thinking that sending proof of life would be too much, so instead detective daddy and step Stan are gonna think you're dead. Imagine the bloodshed when everyone finds out this was Edwards' fault from the beginning. Your father will kill him, and then he'll go to jail - meanwhile me and my boys can leave you two rugrats here to starve while we make off with our cash."

He finished with a flourish but Grace shook her head in confusion "Why would they give you cash if they think we're dead? There wouldn't be any point?"

Charlie gave a whimper from beside her and the teen longed to wrap him in her arms and promise him they'd be home soon, that Danno was coming. Truth was she didn't know if he was ever gonna show.

"They'll pay alright" Brody smirked "They'll see your body all bloodied and beaten on the ground in a lovely photograph Rico took of you when you blacked out. It will finally encourage them to start gathering some cash together because if they don't we'll tell them that little Charlie here is gonna end up the same way."

With that he turned and walked out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him and leaving a ringing in Grace's ears.

* * *

"Chin? You found something?" Danny questioned, ushering Rachel into Stan's office where the man and several HPD officers had set up a control unit.

"We were going through the camera footage, starting from this morning and one of our guys thought he recognised Grace going into the park in He'eia." he spun the laptop round to show the couple and hit the fast forward button as they both leaned in.

Danny chewed at his lip as he waited, eyes flickering between every face on the screen "It's her" he nodded "There right there, she walked in through the north entrance."

Chin turned the laptop back to him and pressed a few more buttons before looking over at Danny and Rachel.

"What?" the detective demanded "C'mon what is it? What's with the face?"

The door opened and Steve walked in, fingers toying with the stubble on his chin "D-"

"No Steven I wanna know why a damn good lead would make your face and his look like that!"

Chin sighed and slowly turned the laptop once more, silently pressing play. The group watched from a new camera angle as Grace ran from the park hand in hand with a man who pulled her along the sidewalk to a car.

"Who the hell is that?" Danny said through gritted teeth "And what the hell is she doing getting in a car with him? Is she nuts? We told her about this, she knows not to just go off with strangers!"

Rachel had covered her mouth with her hands as fresh tears leaked from her eyes, and Kono stepped forward to comfort the woman, shooting a glance over at Danny who looked ready to punch something.

Steve grabbed hold of him by the shoulders to stop him pacing "Listen to me" he said firmly, looking right in the detective's eye "That's not the end, Chin, tell him."

"He's right brah" the man said, zooming in on the frame "We got a partial plate."

Danny turned, picking up the laptop and staring through narrowed eyes at the fuzzy image "So we can find this guy?" he looked up at Steve, tears welling in his eyes as the SEAL nodded.

"Yeah babe, we can find him."

* * *

Grace was straining to hear Brody on the phone as he paced just the other side of the door, her head was still fuzzy but she was sure he'd mentioned Stan and the teen wondered if their stepdad was the other end of the line.

"What are you doing calling me? You wanna blow this whole thing?"

The door slid open and Alvero slipped in, shutting it behind him. "How we doing in here?" he teased, coming to a crouch in front of Grace "You don't look so great when you're covered in blood princess" he pouted and the girl felt like headbutting him if she didn't think it would only do more damage to her injuries.

"Is he talking to Stan?" she asked instead, nodding to the door "Does this mean we can go soon?"

"You know you're not going anywhere" Romeo cut in, joining them "He told you the plan changed."

Charlie kicked his feet and gave a whimper and both men turned to him. "I need the toilet" he whispered, glancing to Grace who was torn between wanting them to let him go, but not wanting her brother out of her sight.

Alvero sighed and straightened up "I'll take him" he muttered, producing a flick knife and slicing the ties without much care "But if you try running little guy I'm gonna put you down."

"You hurt him and I'll kill you" Grace said lightly, wincing as Romeo grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back.

"When are you gonna learn to shut your mouth?" he hissed, spit flying against her cheek "You don't get a say here, not with anything so just shut up."

Alvero ushered Charlie from the room, but Grace's screams seemed to follow them.

* * *

"You should probably find Stan, fill him in" Danny told his ex wife as they left the office, and the man was sure he heard Steve scoff as he followed them out.

Rachel sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose "Yes, yes of course" she looked around as if expecting the man to pop up out of nowhere, and as Steve laid a gentle hand on her back she jumped.

"I think he's in the back yard" he prompted, smiling as the woman rushed off. Once she'd gone the SEAL cleared his throat "Look, D-"

"-I need a vest" the man cut in "And my gun, hell I'll take some grenades too while I'm at it. Also make sure to bring a body bag Steven because when I get my hands on this guy I'm gonna kill him-"

"Danny!"

Steve closed his eyes with a sigh, re-opening them to find his partner gesturing for him to speak.

"I think...I think that maybe there's a reason that Stan isn't getting so involved with any of this."

Danny shook his head "No, no don't start this up again dammit, I have enough things to worry about without you trying to convince me that my children have a nutjob for a stepfather."

"D, I'm not-"

"Enough Steve. Just get ready to leave as soon as Kono gets us an address." He turned and stormed off through the front door to gather his equipment, leaving his partner in silence.

* * *

Grace looked up as the door opened again, and her shoulders sagged in relief as Charlie appeared looking unharmed. She waited for Rico to finish tying him back to the chair before he left so she could speak. "Hey, you alright?" she checked, frowning when he didn't reply. "Charlie? Charlie if they did something to you, you need to tell me."

"No Gracie you keep getting hurt" he sniffed, and the teen felt her heart break a little "Besides they didn't hurt me, but that man that brought you here is in trouble."

His sister stopped to listen, hearing muffled grunts and groans from the other room. "What did he do?" she asked quietly, as if someone would come and do the very same to them at any moment.

"Step Stan told the man on the phone that the car you came in was on a camera near the park, he said that HPD were gonna track it."

Grace felt sick she was so relieved "That means Danno's gonna come buddy" she told her brother, smiling despite the bruising to her face "Danno is gonna be here real soon okay?"

Charlie nodded solemnly "But I think that man outside who drives the car they're looking for is gonna get killed Gracie."

The teen didn't reply, but that didn't stop her thinking... _Good._

* * *

Steve peered out through the glass of the back door to where Rachel and Stan were deep in conversation. He narrowed his eyes at the man, as if some deep study of him would reveal everything that Steve was suspecting.

He sighed and stepped back, leaning against the side of the counter to wait for Kono to tell them where to go, and that's when he saw it. Stan's phone lying on the counter opposite. The SEAL glanced about the room to check he wasn't being watched before swiping the phone and ducking out into the hallway.

Anyone walking past just assumed he was on his own device, but Steve was instead about to stumble on a very key piece of information.

* * *

"Rachel, I need you to stay here while we check out this address alright?" Danny told his ex, joining her and Stan on the decking outside "In case we get a call or if by some miracle the kids come back."

She nodded reluctantly, wrapping her arms around herself "Just, just be careful Daniel, okay? We don't know anything about this man."

"He took our little girl and shoved her in his car, I know enough" the detective insisted, turning as the back door opened and Steve walked out, his face dark with fury.

"You son of a bitch" he growled "You son. of. a. bitch."

Danny held out an arm to stop his partner before he could get any closer to Stan, who was feigning amusement until the SEAL dug in his pocket and held up the mans phone. That's when the blood drained from his face.

"Will someone explain what the hell is going on" Rachel demanded, stepping back as Steve shoved past Danny and pressed the cell into Stan's hand.

"Babe, hey, hey, hey what're you doing?" Danny cried, holding up his hands to placate his partner who rounded on him.

"Call the last number" Steve said quietly "Call the last number before I put a bullet in your chest."

Rachel's eyes were wide with fear, not used to seeing the man so angry. But Danny could tell, he could tell when his boy was onto something. "Do it" he agreed "And I swear to God if what I'm thinking is even remotely accurate, I'm gonna shoot you right between the eyes."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan's world crumbles  
> The team move in on the air base  
> Grace is in a bad way

"Stan?" Rachel's voice was tight as she watched her husband stab at his phone "Stan what have you done?"

He shook his head "It would've been over now Rach, they would be back if you just-"

"-don't speak, just dial" Danny spat, knocking the man in the temple with the barrel of his gun "You find out where my kids are, and then you get out of my sight."

Steve watched his partner in his peripheral vision, his jaw locked in anger as they waited for the phone to be answered. "Speaker" he instructed dully "And if you say anything that puts those kids at risk, we won't hesitate to shoot you."

Stan hit call and held it out as it rang.

 _"What is wrong with you?"_ a voice hissed  _"Don't you think we've got enough to deal with here without you calling up and making yourself look suspicious?"_

"I've got the money" Stan spoke through gritted teeth, glaring over at Danny and McGarrett "This is taking too long Brody so I told them the call came with the ransom."

There was silence the other end and the man could be heard talking to someone else  _"Leave him, change of plans."_ His voice grew louder as he addressed Stan  _"Alvero will come for the money, he'll be waiting in a car the block over from your house. Don't mind his...appearance, that's between me and him."_

 __The phone went dead.

* * *

"How can I drive, I'm pretty sure you busted my hand" Alvero snarled, glaring up at Brody who was dangling the keys in front of him.

"Use your imagination, and get my money."

Romeo dragged him to his feet by the back of his shirt and pushed him forward to collect the keys "Try not to mess up again" he chuckled, saluting the man as he staggered from the air base into the night.

"Where do you want them?" Rico called from where he was leaning in the doorway to the office "The boy's crying will attract too much attention if we don't put them-"

"Just gag him" Brody waved him away "Gag them both, I don't need them anymore."

Rico laughed "I don't think you need to worry about the girl boss, I think she's dead."

* * *

Stan was stood by the front door with a duffel bag clutched in his hand and the barrel of Steve's gun shoved into the small of his back.

"You take the money, you hand it over and you let him drive away, understood?"

"I could go with him? Get Charlie and Grace?"

Danny resisted the urge to punch as he grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and pulled him close "Listen to me you son of a bitch, you're not going anywhere near my kids, and if anything,  _anything_ has happened to them then I swear to God I'll kill you." With that he shoved him away and turned to compose himself.

The radio on Steve's holster crackled to life and he brought it to his mouth "Duke? We good?"

"There's a car approaching, plates match the ones from the security tapes."

The SEAL leaned forward and opened the door, dragging Stan out with him. "HPD are positioned all around the block, if you try anything stupid they'll gun you down" he told him simply "Now go."

* * *

Alvero checked his mirrors, revving the engine every time his leg bounced with anxiety. The street was empty at least, he didn't need any witnesses. The man released a breath of relief at the sight of Stan stumbling along the sidewalk with a duffel, and he popped the trunk.

"Chuck it in the back and get in" he ordered, drawing a gun from his belt "And don't try and say no because I've had a real shit afternoon."

Stan froze "HPD are watching me" he muttered, busying himself with the boot "If I get in then we're all screwed."

Alvero sighed, leaning across to open the passenger door "Get the hell in Edwards."

The motion had caught the eye of a nearby plain clothes officer, and Stan heard him call out for McGarrett. "Drive" he yelled to Alvero, practically throwing himself into the front seat "Drive god dammit!"

The car tyres screeched as the vehicle shot off down the street to the melody of bullets firing behind them.

* * *

Steve had expected this to happen, and straight away he had a unit in the air searching for the car.

"Duke's gonna stay here and monitor the traffic cameras" he explained to the team as they sorted their equipment ready to leave "If he sees the car he'll radio the sky unit and direct them, once they lock in a location we'll be following behind ready to move in." He stopped and squeezed Danny's shoulder "You okay?"

The detective nodded, feeding bullets into his gun with shaking fingers "I will be."

* * *

Charlie panicked as Romeo tried to secure him in the chair, they'd left Grace behind in the office because Rico had declared she wasn't breathing and her brother didn't know what to do.

"What about Grace?" he asked quietly, shrinking into himself for fear of being hurt by the man.

Romeo laughed and flicked him on the nose "Don't worry about her, pretty soon it'll just be the two of you in here anyway."

The shrill ring of Brody's phone echoed in the near empty room, and he groaned as he answered "Alvero if you're calling with more bad news then I suggest you stay clear of me or I'll shoot you in the head."

Charlie chewed on his bottom lip, watching as Romeo and Rico both moved to stand by their boss, listening in on the conversation.

"You've got the money and you've got Edwards so what is the problem? What do you mean HPD are following you? Why the hell are they following you, we put you a block away from the house to avoid this problem!"

Rico placed a hand on his gun "Edwards must have talked" he hissed to Romeo, both of them looking up at the sound of a plane flying over. "We need to move, now. Leave Alvero, let's just go!"

"No!" Brody snapped, rounding on them both "I want my money and I want to put a bullet in Edwards' head.  _That_ is not changing." He uncovered the speaker and brought the phone back to his mouth "Alvero, drive back here, keep the engine running. As soon as you're back we'll leave."

Romeo and Rico took this as their cue to start gathering their stuff, and Charlie looked over at the office with a muffled sob.

* * *

"Chin how we doing?" Steve questioned, turning off onto a side-street and shooting a glance to Danny who was sat in silence and had been for most of the journey.

"Traffic cams picked the car up 2 minutes ago on the highway, the chopper is on their tail brah."

Steve nodded and went up a gear, pressing down hard on the gas "Danny-" he began softly "D, we're gonna get them, alright? I promise you that."

"I should've listened to you" the detective murmured, staring out of his window "If I listened to you in the first place when you tried time and time again to tell me something was up with Stan, then both of my kids would be safe."

"Hey, don't go there alright? Back then even  _I_ didn't truly believe myself so how could I expect you to?"

"Because we're meant to trust each other man, and even before when you tried to bring it up and I shot you down. All I did was waste time, time that Charlie and Grace might not have!" His voice cracked and he brought his hand up to his mouth to try and submerge any building emotion.

Steve searched for the right words to say when the radio crackled with Chin's voice "We've got it, the car turned up a dead end road, leads to the Honolulu air strip, time to put your foot down McGarrett."

And he did.

* * *

Alvero skidded to a halt outside the air base and flung open the door "Go inside now before the damn heli sees you" he ordered, fumbling with the trunk "I'll get the money out and follow you in." He waited for Stan to take off for the doors before slowly closing the trunk and following him.

"Ahh Edwards there you are" Brody greeted, looking up from where he was crouched beside Charlie "Don't you want to say hello to your stepson?"

Stan glanced at Charlie then over at Romeo and Rico "Where's the other one?"

"Dead."

"What? No, no she can't be dead what the hell?" he hissed "If she's dead then I'm a dead man!"

Brody stood and drew his gun, aiming at the man "Come on Edwards, didn't you realise you were gonna be a dead man anyway?" He fired into the man's shoulder, sending him staggering backwards with a groan.

"Boss, you missed" Romeo teased, shouldering a bag and grabbing his gun.

"You didn't think I was gonna make it a one-shot kill did you boy? No, Edwards here is gonna suffer for what he did."

Stan was scrambling backwards, blood flowing steadily from his wound "You said we'd be even if I got you the money" he hissed "All of this was to get you to leave me alone! I got you the kids, I got you the money-"

"Yeah and then you got us a nice HPD escort didn't you?" Alvero drawled from the doorway "Which is almost right on our ass, we've gotta go."

The rumble of the heli engine roared through the air base, and Romeo grabbed Brody by the arm "No time, we've gotta leave him here with them" he called over the noise.

"Where's the money?" Rico questioned, glaring at Alvero.

"In the damn car, what? You think I kept it all for myself?"

The man shoved past him and out into the open. "Wanna say goodbye to your girl?" Romeo teased, nodding to the office "Well what's left of her at least?"

Alvero gave him the finger and swooped down to grab his bag just as a shot fired outside the door.

* * *

"Kono check the trunk and tell me the money is still inside" Steve instructed, checking Rico for a pulse "This one's dead but we almost certainly got their attention, I want a unit round the back exit and the rest of you to secure the perimeter, none of them get away." He turned back to Kono who held the bag aloft and slammed the trunk shut. "Alright" Steve spoke into the radio, glancing at Danny "Let's move in."

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all over.

"Shit" Romeo hissed, peering out the window "They got Rico!"

Brody ran a hand through his hair and tossed his bag to the ground "Looks like we're gonna fight our way out boys" he told them, taking the safety of his gun "Romeo, take the left and Alvero get the right, shoot at anything that moves you hear me?"

The men exchanged a look but nodded slowly as Brody lifted the catch on the door and swung it open, instantly met with the roar of HPD telling them to surrender.

"Sure you wanna do this boss?" Romeo asked "There's a lot more of them."

Brody froze a smirk appearing on his face "Yes, yes but we have the advantage."

* * *

"Nobody's coming out" Kono frowned, aiming her gun steady.

"Yeah well be alert, they could be forming a surprise attack to try and buy some time" Steve warned, looking over to his partner "Hey, you good?"

Danny lowered his gun slightly to turn to him "I'm so worried right now I feel physically sick" he said shakily "So I don't think good is quite the term I'd use-" he trailed off as the door to the air base opened and a figure emerged.

"Hello everyone" Brody greeted "Nice to see you all here to bid me and my team farewell." He grinned round at them all "Where's detective Williams?"

Danny faltered but stepped forward "Right here but it was pretty stupid to come out like this and think we wouldn't shoot you." At this, the sound of multiple guns being loaded sounded around the watching group but Brody simply laughed.

"Of course you won't shoot" he mocked the man "Because to shoot me, you'd have to fire through him." With that he yanked Charlie from behind the door and pressed an arm around his throat to hold him.

A frantic murmur rippled through the officers, and Danny thought he was gonna black out at the sight of his baby boy with a gun pressed to his head. "What do you want?" he asked weakly "Huh? What the hell do you want?"

"Simple. I want to leave, with my boys in tow and without anyone following us."

Danny looked back at Steve who looked equally furious at the situation "Is Stan Edwards in there?" he checked "If he's in there send him out."

"Edwards is a bit busy nursing his bullet wound, but don't worry I'm sure he'll die a nice slow death like we all wanted."

"What about my daughter?" Danny tried to hide the desperation in his voice "Where's my daughter?"

The silence seemed to tell him everything.

* * *

Chin was listening to all of this from his position at the rear of the base with his own unit of officers ready to strike. He turned to them and spoke in hushed tones "The main man is out front with detective Williams' son" he explained "So I want you guys to quietly and discreetly enter through this door ready to fire."

"What about you sir?"

"I'm gonna climb onto the roof, when I get a clear shot on the guy holding Charlie I'll fire and that'll be your cue to do the same to whoever is inside. Right?"

As a mumble of approval came in response, Chin nodded and turned to the ladder, jumping up onto the first rung with sweat beading his forehead.

* * *

"Hey buddy, look at me" Danny called to his son as he took a step forward "Look at me Charlie that's it. You okay? You hurt?"

Brody cocked his gun "Do I look stupid detective?" he snapped "Move back or I'll blow his brains out."

Danny raised his hands in surrender "I'm gonna kill you" he promised the man "I swear to God I'm gonna kill you."

"That may be detective, but how will it help you in the long run?" Brody hummed, looking quickly over his shoulder "Boys are you ready? It's nearly time to say goodbye to these nice officers."

Silence.

Brody felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle and he tightened his grip on Charlie "Romeo? Alvero?" he hissed "Answer me dammit."

Silence.

Realising something was wrong, the man flicked off the safety and shoved the barrel hard into Charlie's temple.

Just like that a shot rang out in the silence of the night.

* * *

Danny ran forward as he watched Brody drop to the ground with a hole in his head, he grabbed Charlie in his arms, tears running down his cheeks as he cradled the boy's head. "Hey, hey buddy it's okay I got you, Danno's got you." He felt the youngster wrap his little arms around his neck, burying his face into the Danny's chest as he too began to cry.

Kono ran up to them and placed a hand on Charlie's back "Good to see you little man" she greeted, using her thumb to sloppily wipe Danny's cheek "HPD have a car waiting to take him to Rachel" she said gently.

"No, no I don't want him out of my sight" Danny croaked, rocking the boy in his arms as he felt his knees weaken with relief.

Steve appeared by his side, momentarily cupping Charlie's cheek before turning to his partner "D, I know you don't wanna leave him but I need you for this man, and we still gotta find our girl."

That seemed to snap Danny out of it, and he allowed Kono to take Charlie from his arms "Grace?" he whispered "My little girl" he ran a hand through his hair and glanced back at Charlie "Buddy, Auntie Kono's gonna take you to get checked out by some nice doctors okay? Danno will be back to see you real soon, I'm gonna go find Gracie." He hooked his little finger round Charlie's in a promise before raising his gun and running into the air base after Steve.

The place was already crawling with HPD who were systematically checking for any potential threats left behind.

"Grace?" Steve called for his niece "GRACIE YOU IN HERE?"

"I don't hear anything" Danny panicked, wiping the sweat from his forehead "Why can't I hear anything?"

Steve placed a hand on his cheek, trying to calm him as a nearby officer gave a cry and dragged Alvero to his feet from where he'd been crouched behind some barrel's.

"It's him" Danny growled "That's the punk who took my daughter." He strode over and landed a hefty punch to the man's jaw, barely stopping to shake it off before aiming another one to his stomach just as Steve darted forward and pulled him back.

"Leave him babe, okay? We can deal with him after we find Grace."

The HPD officer held Alvero still as Steve gripped him by the chin "Tell me where she is" he ordered "And tell me now."

"She's already dead" he laughed coldly "So what's the point?"

Danny turned and retched, sobs wracking his body as Steve landed one more punch to Alvero, rendering him unconscious.

"Guys?" Kono called "Guys this one's locked!"

Both men looked up but Steve could tell Danny was rapidly losing it. "Hey, why don't you go out to Charlie?" he suggested gently "Kono and I got this."

"No. No I need to see her, I need to see my baby" the detective breathed, stumbling over to where an HPD officer was wrenching the door open.

"Hey, how's it...going" Chin ran up to the team and rested a hand on Danny's shoulder "Is Charlie alright?"

Steve nodded and clapped him on the back "Yeah, yeah he's with the medics, you took a good shot brother, nice work" he said quietly, stiffening at the sound of the door breaking loose.

"Stop" Danny said dully, before the officer could go in "I need to do this bit alone."

"D, what if someone else is in there?" Steve reasoned gently "Huh? I can't let you go on your own."

"Nobody else is gonna be in there Steven" he spluttered "Because they killed her, they killed my baby girl and they left her on her own."

Kono turned and began to usher the hovering HPD officers away, grabbing Romeo who was sat nearby with a gunshot wound to the leg "Let's go" she growled, nodding to Chin who shot a look back to the boys before following his cousin.

* * *

Danny took a deep breath and wrenched the door across with a sickening screech, stepping over the grate and into the office. Steve waited, he waited for as long as he could bear to but when he heard Danny's heart wrenching cry the SEAL was by his side in seconds.

Grace was still tied to the chair but her face was bloody and bruised, her hair was matted with drying blood and her wrists were bleeding still as the cable ties dug in.

"Alright, alright buddy c'mon" Steve said quietly, pulling his partner to his chest "C'mere, just wait outside alright? Just outside the door for me please?" His eyes were glassy with unshed tears as he gripped the detective by the arms, and Danny - who was so overwhelmed by his grief just allowed himself to be led out the door.

Steve carefully pulled it shut so that only a crack was left, but he could still hear his partner crying as his heart broke. McGarrett took a breath to try and compose himself as he pulled a knife from his belt and with trembling fingers severed the cable ties to free his niece. He saw the angle of her wrist and winced, pulling her gently from the chair and onto the floor with him where he cradled her in his lap. "It's okay baby girl, you're okay now" he whispered, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of her head as tears slid down his cheeks.

"Nnghh"

Steve froze, his heart hammering at the sound "Grace?" he croaked "Hey? Gracie can you hear me?"

"Uncle Steve?" the girl rasped, her head lolling to one side in his arms.

"Yeah" he laughed in relief "Yeah it's me, oh my God." He turned towards the door "Danny? DANNY!"

The detective pulled the door back, his face ashen "I err- I got a team ready to-" he cleared his throat but Steve shook his head.

"Not today you big goof" he sniffed "Gracie, Gracie Danno's here."

Danny stumbled towards the pair, dropping to his knees "Monkey?" he rasped.

"Danno."

The man fell against Steve, sobbing into his shirt as the SEAL wrapped an arm round his partner and pressed a kiss to his temple.

"She's okay buddy, she's gonna be okay."

* * *

Grace blinked against the harsh lights of the hospital and subconsciously squeezed the hand that held hers.

"There she is" Danny smiled, leaning forward and bringing her hand up to kiss it "How you feeling monkey?"

"Where-where's Charlie?" she murmured, looking around in concern.

Danny laughed, stroking a hand over her cheek "He's with your uncle Steve raiding a vending machine, he's fine, thanks to his big sister I hear." The man sat back in his chair and drew his lips in for a moment as if he were about to start crying again "Your brother told us everything you did, how you protected him? I'm so proud of you Grace, so so proud."

She smiled slightly "You know what Charlie's like for his imagination Danno" she bluffed "I'm just glad he's alright."

The door creaked open and the boy rushed in at the sight of his sister awake "Gracie! Gracie I missed you!" he cried, scrambling on top of the bed with her and gently reaching to touch her cheek "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright buddy, how you doing?" the girl asked seriously "Not hurt anywhere?"

"The nurse rubbed some jelly on my arms for my cuts" he told her, holding them out with a flourish "Did you get jelly too?"

Grace laughed and then winced, struggling to sit up "I think I got jelly and then some" she joked, letting her dad help her get comfortable.

"You saved me Gracie" the little boy said quietly as he delved under the blankets with her and cuddled into her side "You wouldn't let the bad guys hurt me."

Danny ruffled the boy's hair, patting the seat beside him for Steve to sit.

"Of course I wouldn't let them hurt you, you're my baby brother" Grace said fondly, running a hand over his cheek.

Steve sat forward with a smile "Had us worried for a while back there kiddo" he told her "But I hear you brought the same level of sass your dad usually does" he glanced at his partner with a smirk as Charlie sat up grinning.

"Uh huh, this guy said he'd been doing some thinking and then Gracie was like, don't hurt yourself" he started giggling till his father lifted him up and onto his lap to calm him down.

"That's my girl" the man smiled, holding Charlie close and pressing a long kiss to the back of his head.

Grace closed her eyes and lay back against the pillows with a weak groan "It hurts" she whispered, turning slightly to make eye contact with her father.

"Hey buddy" the detective began, getting Charlie's attention, will you go down the hall and check on Uncle Chin and Aunt Kono for me? Make sure they're not causing any trouble?"

Steve looked between the father and daughter before getting to his feet and extending a hand to his nephew "C'mon little man let's go see what they're up to-" he ushered the boy out and turned back to his partner "If they're still interrogating I'll distract him with another trip to the vending machine" he winked, pulling the door shut behind him.

As soon as Danny was sure Charlie was safely out the way he was out of his chair and stood over Grace. "Hey baby girl can you tell me what's hurting?" he asked softly "I know it's a stupid question but-" he stopped when he felt her squeeze his hand.

"Danno" she whispered, a tear falling to the pillow "Danno I was so scared."

That's when the detective realised she wasn't really in pain, but instead was finally allowing herself to fall apart and act like the child she was rather than the adult Charlie had needed her to be.

"Oh monkey" he sighed, laying down beside her and gently pulling her to him "You're safe now. Danno's got you and I'm never gonna let you get hurt again, you hear me?" he ran his fingers through her hair, easing her arm up so that the cast they'd put on her broken wrist was resting across his stomach.

"I just didn't want them to hurt him" she sniffled "But there was never gonna be anything I could do to stop them."

"Shh, he's fine, you're both gonna be okay I promise you that" Danny whispered into her hair "Your mom will be here soon once she's done talking to HPD-"

Grace tensed and shook her head lightly "No, Danno please I don't want to go with her" the teen begged "This is all because of Stan, I'm not ready to go back there, please don't make me go back!"

Danny cupped her cheeks and kissed her nose "Baby, you don't have to go back there, you can stay with me you know that" he soothed "But you're gonna be in the hospital for a while and you gotta remember this isn't your moms fault, huh?"

"She brought Stan into our lives" the teen snapped "I just wish Brody had shot him dead when he had the chance!"

"Woah, hey that's not my daughter speaking" Danny said, shocked "Grace, baby he's gonna rot in prison and trust me that will be more than punishment compared to him taking a bullet to the chest."

The door opened again and Steve slipped in, brows furrowed in concern "Everything alright sweetie?" he checked, glancing to Danny "Charlie took Kono off to the gift shop to find a nice big balloon for your room." He settled on the edge of the mattress and rested a hand on Danny's knee "By the way, Max is swinging by with some stuff for you and Grace, I figured you wouldn't wanna go anywhere anytime soon."

The detective smiled wearily and bumped his partners fist "Thanks man, I hadn't even thought about it."

"Well it's been one hell of a day, I'm amazed Charlie's still awake."

Danny laughed "Yeah well that might have something to do with all your trips to the vending machine filled with sugary snacks babe."

Steve winked at Grace who giggled and snuggled into her father's side. "Uncle Steve?" she began quietly "Will you stay with us? At least for tonight?" she looked up at him, tired and bruised and terrified, and the man reached out and squeezed her hand.

"I'm not going anywhere Gracie."

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
